| Royal Newfoundland Constabulary | |
| Abbreviation | RNC |
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| Shoulder flash of the RNC | |
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| Badge of the RNC | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1841 |
| Preceding agency | Newfoundland Constabulary (1729) |
| Employees | 400 |
| Annual budget | $40,568,300 (2008) |
| Legal personality | Governmental: Government agency |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction* | Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada |
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| Map of Royal Newfoundland Constabulary's jurisdiction. | |
| Size | 405,212 km² |
| Population | 519,000 |
| General nature | |
| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | 1 Fort Townshend, St. John's |
| Agency executive | Joseph Browne, Chief |
| Facilities | |
| Stations | 7 |
| Website | |
| Royal Newfoundland Constabulary | |
| Footnotes | |
| * Divisional agency: Division of the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction. | |
The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary (RNC) is a police force in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It provides policing to the communities of St. John's and the Northeast Avalon Peninsula, Corner Brook, Churchill Falls, and Labrador City.
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History
The RNC dates back to 1729, with the appointment of the first police constables. In the 19th century, the RNC was modelled after the Royal Irish Constabulary with the secondment in 1844 of Timothy Mitchell of the Royal Irish Constabulary to be Inspector General, making it the oldest civil police force in North America. Mitchell served as inspector and superintendent of police until 1871, when the Newfoundland Constabulary was reorganized with a new Police Act.
Other officers recruited from the Royal Irish Constabulary to take command of the Newfoundland force included Thomas J. Foley who served from 1871 to 1873, Paul Carty, who headed the RNC from 1873-1895, and John Roche McGowen, who served as constabulary inspector general from 1895-1908.
During World War II, the RNC pursued not only spies but also criminal elements within the foreign military stationed at St. John's.[1] Their investigation into the 1942 Knights of Colombus hostel fire has become popular knowledge.
In 1979, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II conferred the insignia ‘Royal’ on the Newfoundland Constabulary in recognition of its long history of service to Newfoundland and Labrador.
On May 3, 2005, the RNC made a formal exchange of colours with Garda Síochána na hÉireann to mark the historic links between the two forces.
Operations
The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary serves alongside the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, which is contracted by the provincial government to provide provincial and community policing services. The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary services mainly major metropolitan areas while the RCMP serves smaller and remote rural areas.
The RNC currently polices the following areas:
- North East Avalon (St. John's, Mount Pearl, and surrounding communities)
- Corner Brook
- Labrador West (Labrador City, Wabush, Churchill Falls, and the surrounding area)
Fleet
Over the years, the Constabulary has used many different vehicles such as [1]:
- Chrysler PT Cruiser - Community Policing
- Dodge Charger
- Dodge Intrepid
- Chevrolet Impala
- Chevrolet Lumina
- Chevrolet Silverado
- Chevrolet Suburban
- Chevrolet Van
- Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor
- Ford E-Series
- Ford Expedition
- Ford Explorer
- Ford F-Series
- Ford Taurus
- Jeep Cherokee
- Toyota Tundra - Mounted Unit only
- Toyota Echo - Community Policing
- Hyundai Elantra - Community Policing
Weapons
RNC started regularly carrying weapons in 1998-1999:[citation needed]
- Handgun - Sig Sauer P226
- Rifle
- Shotgun
- Joey Smyth
- Taser
- Following an incident in Richmond, British Columbia in 2007, the use of Tasers within the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary has been halted. [2]
See also
References
- ^ Browne, Gary (2009). To Serve and Protect: The Newfoundland Constabulary on the Home Front World War Two. ISBN 0978343492.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Royal Newfoundland Constabulary |
- List of Civilian organizations with prefix "Royal" - Heritage Canada.
- List of civilian organizations with the prefix "Royal" prepared by the Department of Canadian Heritage
- Royal Newfoundland Constabulary official website
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